last updated: Sunday, December 9, 2007
My experiences on the wards

This is an ongoing section with thoughts about my experiences on the wards. I'll update them as I go through my rotations. Since I had M during my second preclinical year, I have done all of my clerkships with at least one child (I started clinics when M was almost one). Being a mom in medical school is pretty tough, and it only gets tougher once you start clerkships, since your schedule isn't as flexible anymore.

Med students are always asking questions about how to do well on the wards, what to study for the shelf, and how to approach all the scut work and "colorful" personalities. I definitely don't have all the answers, but perhaps sharing some of my stories might help some people feel less isolated about their own experiences. It's so easy to fall out of touch with your friends and classmates during the clinic years because everyone is on a different schedule and rotates through different locations.

I think that everyone feels kind of lost when they start their clinic years, because there is so much to get used to and every rotation is so different. It's tough because once you start to really become efficient and competent in that department, it's about time to rotate off service onto something else. There's so much to get used to that isn't covered in class, and it can be frustrating at times. I'm always frustrated with the jargon. Each department has their own lingo for stuff and then there are the abbreviations! I really hate when people abbreviate everything, especially when speaking or presenting a patient. Oh, and the handwriting - it's just awful how you can't read some people's notes. What is the point of even writing anything if no one is going to be able to read it? Needless to say, it can be a very stressful experience, especially since med students are always being scrutinized and evaluated.


Internal Medicine
This was my very first rotation, and my least favorite so far, for a variety of reasons. Read more

Psychiatry
I spent a month on geriatric psychiatry, which I really enjoyed. The thing I remember most is how nice everyone is. Read more

General Surgery
Like most medical students, I was pretty anxious about my surgery rotation. Read more

Pediatrics
This was the last rotation I did before I had A, which was challenging to say the least. Read more

Family Medicine
This was the first rotation I did after I delivered A, which was really nice, since I needed a good review of general medicine. I wrote a few thoughts about this rotation last year, but here are more details. Read more

Obstetrics/Gynecology
This rotation has historically not been a popular rotation at my school, and based on what I have heard from students at other schools, it’s not very popular in general. Read more